Contact
by Loise
Summary: AU. The war dragged on. Heero needed someone more explosive. Duo was ready. Heero/Duo, Quatre/Trowa, Sally.


Contact

* * *

"You're the contact, then?" Heero asked, not believing that the young man could be the one whose name was feared, whose reputation was so deadly.

But then he considered himself. Heero was often underestimated due to his age, and appearance.

The man, Duo Maxwell, Heero corrected himself, just grinned and nodded. "Surprised are you?" He asked and leaned closer, into Heero's personal space. Though, considering that Heero excluded an aura of menace of about ten feet this was not hard. Then he leaned closer and leered.

Heero shrugged, "As long as you do the job, then I won't have a problem."

"I do have one requirement," Duo said, "That I didn't mention in the email."

"What?" Heero barked out, tensing.

"Normally it wouldn't be a problem," Duo shrugged, "The people they send, they don't appeal to me mostly. But you, you do."

This was not the first proposition that Heero had been the recipient of. "If you survive, I might consider it."

"Well! What an incentive that is!" Duo laughed. "Deal! I'll survive this mess. You must had better live up to your end of the bargain."

That shouldn't be too hard, Heero considered. Duo was a very attractive young man. But he just grunted and turned away.

* * *

There was a bloody cut under Duo's chin. The light in his eyes spoke of someone still excited, maddened by war and violence, it was a look Heero knew well.

"I survived!" Duo declared and grinned like it was a game.

Heero leaned away from the computer and gave Duo a probing stare. "So you did," he said non-committal.

"Aw, shucks, don't praise me any more or I'll get a swollen head," Duo quipped, his breath still coming fast. Adrenaline was likely still pumping through his system.

"You're going to collapse," Heero murmured.

Duo shook his head and stepped forward, "Nah," he denied. But his next step was wobbly. "Ha, I guess you're Cassandra," Duo mused.

"You'll have to collect on out agreement at a later date, Maxwell," Heero said. "If you can still manage it, go to the room two doors down. A doctor will take care of your wounds. Just make sure you don't snark back, she doesn't like that from many people."

"All the snazzy features, eh?" Duo asked. "Just like a hotel, your guerrilla organisation, right Heero?"

"Hm," Heero grunted and turned back to his computer. Duo Maxwell stared at the back of his for several seconds before laughing to himself and leaving the room.

* * *

"That young man you sent to me," Sally said quietly, then sipped her tea. "He asked about you."

"I've been told I have a mesmerising presence," Heero replied, looking away from the television. An empty coffee mug sat in front of him.

Sally snorted, "Yes, well, he seemed very interested."

"His references check out," Heero said, "And he did accomplish the mission."

"There's no doubt that he is very skilled at what he can do," Sally acknowledged. "But that wasn't what I meant, Heero."

"I can handle myself, Sally," Heero answered.

"Really?" Sally asked archly. Heero shot her a glare. "Very well. Just, just take care of yourself. He's very attractive, this Duo Maxwell."

"Yes, he is," Heero knew very well.

"Does he know about the accident?" Sally asked.

Pause. "I wouldn't imagine so," Heero said coldly. "He hasn't been close enough and we have managed to keep the rumours of my… accident mostly under wraps. Haven't we?"

"Of course! I'm just saying this as your friend," Sally took a deep breath. "Surely you would have noticed how observant he is, he does undercover work, though I wonder how with that braid of his."

Heero shrugged and refilled his coffee. "If he noticed, there's not much we can do until he comes back from his current mission."

"Indeed," Sally murmured. Then her lip quirked and she looked up, her eyes filled with amusement. "Oh and Heero? His questions?"

"What about them?" Heero asked, suspicious about that particular light in her eyes.

"They concerned a rather intimate part of your body. As your doctor I of course couldn't disclose this, however I might have been very tempted," Sally murmured, beaming mischievously.

* * *

"You want to re-check his references?" Quatre asked, in some surprise. "I thought they cleared out?" Quatre leaned forward over the table, frowning. "And I thought I recognised his handiwork in the Four Cross Bridge bombing and the -"

"His work has proved exemplar," Heero interrupted. "What I had in mind was in regards to Maxwell… on a more personal note?"

"Oh," Quatre said, looking disturbingly intrigued. "Oh, I see."

"Indeed," Heero answered.

"He is very attractive," Quatre considered, a finger resting against his chin. "I prefer Trowa of course."

"Of course. I'm sorry he couldn't come with you to Earth."

"But there is something raw about Duo, something wild," Quatre closed his eyes and smiled. "We've known each other since we were children. His parents died, and then he was involved in the religious uprising on L2. My father sponsored Duo's education. He's a genius, you know? Not just with explosives. He disappeared for a while when he was fourteen and reappeared when he was sixteen. I don't know much of what happened during that time but that was when he started to become interested in my more subversive activities."

"Your clubbing?" Heero questioned.

Quatre laughed, "Well that, for sure. But more than that, Duo wanted to get involved in politics. You know L4 however. The people are too privileged for a so called riff raff like Duo. Not even with me in his campaign. So," Quatre tapped his fingers against the table. "He got involved with the underground movement. Was I surprised when we turned out to be in same cell!"

"Then?"

"Well. Then my father died. I discovered that the illustrious Winners weren't so wealthy and powerful," Quatre said, voice still pained after all the years. "Duo was the one who convinced me that I could be more than just a low ranking member of the L4 underground but I could influence things. He left soon after that, for Earth."

"I see," Heero nodded in understanding.

"Later he returned to L4 and it was almost like old times," Quatre said wistfully. "But it wasn't. Duo has a cause but there's not much left other than that for him. I think he lost someone important to him. He did some odd jobs for me. But he was stifled in L4. It's not like Earth, for that I am glad. There has been much blood spent lately, Heero," Quatre said sadly.

"Blood brings about revolution," Heero said.

"Hopefully," said Quatre, then he gave Heero a sidelong glance. "I think you'd be intrigued by Duo's thoughts."

"He doesn't mind you saying this?" Heero asked. "All of this?"

Quatre's smile was wry when he answered, "Perhaps. But considering just yesterday he was peppering me for questions about you I figured he wouldn't mind."

"What - what did you say?"

"I know much less about you, Heero," Quatre replied lightly, "So you certainly got the better deal. But you realise, that he already knew about the accident?"

* * *

"So we meet again," Duo said, leaning against the door.

"You've been asking about me," Heero murmured, fingers resting on his keyboard. He felt restless.

"You haven't been asking about me? Duo retorted. "If you haven't I will be very surprised… and disappointed."

"I can't take any chances," Heero murmured. "The situation is very tense at the moment."

"The war is always bloody tense; it's just not a situation! Have you forgotten that since your accident?" Duo said harshly.

"That is none of your business, Duo Maxwell," Heero said, hands clenching.

Duo laughed bitterly, slapping a hand against his thigh. "Of course not! It's just business to you, right? You never thought to think - I was deluding myself? That's it? God. I had admired you, you know? The great Heero Yuy."

"I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations."

"You did! That's what makes it so hysterically funny, because I still want you even when you're acting like a bastard."

"I -"

"And it's so obvious what you're doing. You're brilliant, anyone can see that but there should be more to life than this war."

"You want me?"

Duo sighed. "Didn't I make that clear the first time we met?"

"I thought you just wanted sex."

"No. No, I don't go sleeping around. I've admired you for a long time, Heero Yuy," Duo ran a hand through his hair. "I jumped at the opportunity to meet you."

"My accident - "

"It is an excuse!" Duo burst out. "I don't care about that! Since we met, it's just been like; I'm only alive with you."

Heero just shrugged awkwardly when Duo left.

* * *

Sally stared at him. "You're an idiot, you know?"

"I know," Heero muttered, hunching his shoulders further down.

She sighed.

* * *

The door burst open. Duo panted and rested his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "You're alive," he muttered to himself.

Heero quirked one brow in puzzlement.

Duo strode into his office with a determined expression of his face. Ignoring Heero's questions he leaned over Heero, hands of the arm rests of Heero's seat. Their eyes met and Heero glared.

"You wanted something?" Heero snapped.

A smile crept across Duo's face. "Yeah," he said rather breezily, "But not now."

"Are you sure?" Heero gripped Duo's upper arms, pleased with the strength he found there. "I've thought of what you said."

"And?"

"You're mostly wrong. I have hidden my accident but not for the reasons you think. People expect me to be strong, I was strong and now that I'm not I have to be like Roosevelt," Heero murmured. "That's why."

"I still think that's a load of trash," Duo muttered, rubbing his head against Heero's collarbone.

"Oh, yeah? And you? You've been hiding nothing?" Heero mumbled, more interested in the direction Duo's hands were going.

"How 'bout we discuss this later?" Duo murmured, quickly unzipping Heero and then grinned. "Commando, eh?"

"Always be prepared," Heero said seriously. "I also noticed no underwear line on your trousers. Considering how tight they are…"

Duo just laughed.

* * *

"You really are the devil," Sally said fondly to Quatre. "Calling Duo with Heero's distress code. I saw him come in. He looked like he expected Heero to be seriously injured."

"I would do practically anything for the movement," Quatre said, smiling as he sipped his tea. "Anyone could see that Duo's reckless behaviour would be detrimental in the long run."

"While Heero's pride needed a pounding?" Sally butted in.

"Among other things," Quatre said sweetly. "Need I say that your evasive comments merely exasperated Duo's urgency?"

She smirked back at him and gestured to Heero's office. "They should know better. It's not soundproof."

"Ah, but where would be the fun in that?" 


End file.
